Pomona

From Vegas I headed to Claremont, where I spent four years of my life, acquired a bit of knowledge, and left a few brain cells behind for safekeeping. Not too many - just enough to make motorcycling seem like a sensible hobby.

I met up with my dear friend-buddy-guy Michael and we stayed at the Motel 6 for $140/night, because California is stupid. The room was cleaner than expected, the smell of weed on par, and the cockroaches larger than I'd feared. They were quite articulate though, having spent a considerable amount of time in the dorms at Mudd.

I refused to pay to attend Alumni weekend. It would've been worth it, but charging for admission when you have a three billion dollar endowment is dumb. But I had no qualms about hopping over a few fences - something I never would have done before this trip, and precisely the kind of personal growth I'd been hoping to achieve. Michael, having relentlessly exacerbated various injuries sustained in our freshman year turkey trot 15 years prior, couldn't jump over anything and had to limp his way in.

Other things which happened during alumni weekend: 

1. They had a jumbotron which followed a guy playing saxophone as he ran wildly between dinner tables. It was awesome and weird.

2. I had lunch with professor Taylor, who once gave me an extra point on an exam after I drew a hostage situation in place of an answer to a question that was way above my pay grade. I threatened to smoke the stickman unless he gave me full marks, and I couldn't believe it even partially worked. I tried it again on another test but he used a highlighter to draw a forcefield around the would-be victim.

3. I also had lunch with my Japanese professor, Miyake Sensei. She used to remind us before her notoriously difficult exams that the correct way to commit seppuku (ritual disembowelment) was to cut from left to right - should we feel so inclined. In retrospect, I guess exams at Pomona were kind of violent. 

4. Michael sang at the top of his lungs while ambling around ITS as if there weren’t people trying to study there in peace - for old time’s sake.

5. Our backs hurt and we went to bed at a reasonable hour.